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I like Bernheim Wheat bourbon very well, but it is a bit too far on the soft side with a finish that falls away too quickly.

I like Woodford Reserve Double Oaked well enough, but it is a bit too far on the acrid side and it hits with its tannins.

At 50/50 they are better than Pappy 15 YO. I know this because I did a comparison.

The 50/50 does not attack the palate, it glides across with a delicate sweetness, completely belying its 90 proof (the Bernheim component).

The 50/50 does not abandon the palate. It lingers with an amazing subtlety that approaches the sophistication of a fine cognac (the WRDO component).

This is as good as any bourbon I have ever constructed.............. or had.

I will try this vatting.

Oh great, now I gotta go out and buy a bottle of Bernheim Wheat. Thanks Mike

I think I'll play around with my Makers cask strength and Weller antique's first. I'm with you on the Double Oak all the way. Not bad alone but what an exceptional vatter.

I really love playing master blender. I can't imagine how cool it would be to actually do that for a living. Hundreds or THOUSANDS of barrels at your beckon call. One can only dream.

Chears fellow enthusiasts,
RG

But what are dreams for except that a man's reach should exceed his grasp.

I would certainly be in heaven

With a position as noble

as that of a master blender

RandyG wrote:I would certainly be in heaven

With a position as noble

as that of a master blender

You can be and are you own master blender, Randy. I certainly trust your judgement.

I should point out that I used the word bourbon in regard to Bernheim. It is not bourbon since it does not contain 51% corn in the mash bill. It is right at 51% wheat. It is, of course, still a whiskey.

Four days have passed since I made my claims about the whiskey I made with Bernheim and Woodford Reserve Double Oaked.

I am sipping it again only I have experimented a bit with the proportions. I think it is slightly better with 40% Bernheim and 60% Woodford. At 50% Bernheim, the wheat, although not intrusive, has too much presence. Now, as American whiskies go, this is (to my palate) near perfection. It has a degree of softness necessary to any great sipping whiskey. It has the sweet richness of the barrel with its vanilla thickness and its maple like qualities. It has some of the rye bite that makes it American whiskey, and the (to me necessary) tannins that hold the lot together and tote it into a great finish.

Everyone is free, and should, disagree with me, especially with regard to the tannins. I have long held that tannins are the glue that CAN hold a whiskey together across the whole palate. It is just possible of course, that I am full of shit about all this. But all I have to go on here is my own experience, which is admittedly pretty extensive, but is probably best described as a blunt instrument.

This thread just proves that Mike is a gem on this forum. Keep doing what you do, Mike!

The reference to "heaven" was actually a response to Squire's quote of a Robert Browning poem.

That being said .......... I truly would be in heaven with a job like that ( I find it hard to refer to such as a job). I imagine I would ruffle the feathers of the resident bean counters though, as I would insist that every barrel be left in the houses for 10 to 15 years.

No you wouldn't be very popular with that decision. Admired perhaps but not approved.

I personally was pleasantly surprised at Bernheim (7 Year) wheat whiskey. I actually like it better than Maker's Mark (just don't like any of the MM products I've tried). I'll have to give it a whirl.